EATING just a small amount of processed red meat every day can send you to an early grave, scientists warned yesterday.

Enjoying a rasher or two of bacon or a couple of slices of ham can raise the risk of dying from heart failure by more than a third.

The stark findings come from a study of more than 37,000 men – but the researchers say the dangers are just as likely to apply to women.

It is the first research to distinguish between the effects of processed meat like bacon, ham, sausage or salami and unprocessed red, non-poultry, meat such as steak.

The unprocessed red meat did not have a big impact on heart failure and death rates.

Dr Joanna Kaluza, who led the study, said the message for good health was clear.

She said: “To reduce your risk of heart failure and other cardiovascular ­diseases, we suggest avoiding ­ processed red meat in your diet, and limiting the amount of unprocessed red meat to one to two servings per week or less.

She said: “With summer in the air, many of us may be looking forward to a barbecue.

"But this research suggests we would do well to curb our cravings, as processed red meat, such as sausages and burgers, could be linked to an increased risk of heart failure.

“The study doesn’t look into why this is the case, but suggests the adverse effect could be down to the salt and additives used to produce and preserve processed meats.

Just a rasher or two of bacon can raise the risk of dying from heart failure by more than a third [GETTY]

To reduce your risk of heart failure and other cardiovascular ­diseases, we suggest avoiding ­ processed red meat in your diet, and limiting the amount of unprocessed red meat to one to two servings per week or less

Dr Joanna Kaluza, who led the study

“Whilst red meat can still be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet, a healthy diet is a varied one.

"So if you eat lots of processed meat, try other protein choices such as chicken, fish, beans or lentils to keep your heart healthy.”

The latest research was carried out in Sweden and published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart ­Failure.

It involved participants completing diet questionnaires over more than a decade.

UK government health guidelines permit eating up to 70g of processed meat, or around two or three slices of bacon, a day.

But the study found that those who ate the most processed meat – 75g a day or more – were twice as likely to die from heart failure than those who ate only 25g or less.

For every extra 50g of ­processed meat eaten – the equivalent to one or two slices of ham – the risk of heart failure increased by eight per cent and the chances of dying from the condition soared by 38 per cent.

Men in the study were aged 45 to 79 with no history of heart problems or cancer.

Over the 12-year follow-up period, 2,891 were diagnosed with heart failure and 266 died from the condition.

Professor Alicja Wolk, senior author of the study from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said: “Processed red meat commonly contains sodium, nitrates, phosphates and other food additives, and smoked and grilled meats also contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, all of which may contribute to the increased heart failure risk.

“Unprocessed meat is free from food additives and usually has a lower amount of sodium.”

Processed meat has also been linked to an increased risk of bowel, bladder and pancreatic cancer as well as raising the chance of developing diabetes.

Experts believe three per cent of early deaths a year could be prevented if people ate less than 20g of processed meat a day.

A very small amount of red meat such as beef, pork or lamb, may be beneficial.